Wreath laying ceremony set

December 12, 2013

ELKINS - Little Arlington Cemetery will be one of more than 850 locations to participate in the Wreaths Across America program this weekend.

At noon on Saturday, members of all veterans organizations will gather together to honor fallen veterans at cemeteries across the country.

The American Legion Post 29 of Elkins will conduct the ceremony at Little Arlington Cemetery.

"We have guys that never made it home and we still have quite a few POW/MIAs," said Post 29 chairman Mike McRae. "We also do it for current and active military, to let them know that we do not forget."

Seven ceremonial wreaths will be placed on memorials at Little Arlington to remember all soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen and merchant marines who served. The wreaths will be specially designated for each branch of the military, and for POW/MIAs.

Saturday will mark the 22nd anniversary of wreaths being donated and placed on the headstones at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. This is also the eighth year of the national wreath sponsorship campaign under the guidance of the non-profit organization Wreaths Across America.

The Wreaths Across America story began more than 20 years ago when the Worcester Wreath Company from Harrington, Maine, initiated a tradition of donating and placing wreaths on headstones of our nation's fallen heroes in Arlington National Cemetery.

Worcester Wreath Company continues to be a major supporter of this project, donating more than 50,000 total wreaths in 2011. More than 400,000 wreaths will be sponsored by individuals, businesses and groups from communities in all 50 states, in addition to those donated by Worcester Wreath.

If you would like to sponsor a wreath, or would like more information, please call Mike Cardinal at 304-614-6338. You can also obtain information about this organization at www.WreathsAcrossAmerica.org.